I like to think I have some control over my life and I usually write about things close to home. But sometimes the importance of outside events justify moving outside my comfortable sphere to put something down on paper.
September 9, 2012
Taking the Message to the Public
The Chamomile Tea Party’s First Ad in Washington, DC’s Metro (click image for larger view) It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on Life Outtacontext. But I’ve been busy. With the upcoming election, there is more food for…
February 5, 2012
Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?
The latest poster from the Chamomile Tea Party. Click on image for larger view. (Not only is this a remix of a World War II-era poster this is a remix of my first Chamomile Tea Party poster. And aside…
January 29, 2012
New Posters from the Chamomile Tea Party: Polarization is Destroying America
Don’t pigeonhole the American public. We’ve got a lot of opinions that aren’t so easy to categorize. Click on images for a larger view. Polarization of Congress, the electorate, and, most importantly, the issues that are important to Americans…
January 15, 2012
Sold to the Highest Contributor!
A new poster from the Chamomile Tea Party. In today’s Washington Post, Jonathan Turley, Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University, discusses 10 reasons why the U.S. is no longer the land of the free. It’s…
July 17, 2011
Two New Posters from the Chamomile Tea Party
Two new posters from the Chamomile Tea Party. Click on each of them for a close-up view. It’s been pretty steamy here in Washington. But I’m not talking about the weather. Here in DC, we seem to live and…
July 9, 2011
Wally Shawn photographed for Time magazine. This has got to be the worst photograph of Wallace Shawn I have ever seen. What were the editors of Time magazine thinking when they decided to use Peter Hapak’s image for their…
July 2, 2011
The Birth of an Idea: the Chamomile Tea Party’s 1st Birthday
Today marks the first anniversary of an idea. One year ago today, as I was walking home from work, my brain gave birth to the Chamomile Tea Party. More specifically, I decided to take World War II-era propaganda posters…
November 8, 2010
John Boehner on the cover of Time. Click image for detail. When the mailman handed me this week’s Time magazine I was immediately drawn to the cover photograph of John Boehner, the presumptive Speaker of the House. But I…
October 31, 2010
The Rally for Sanity? It Was Insane!
I positioned us at the Rally for a good photo op of the Capitol. At the last minute I decided to bring one of my Chamomile Tea Party posters to the Rally for Sanity here on the National Mall…
September 26, 2010
The latest poster by the Chamomile Tea Party (click image for larger view). Posters distill the essence of ideas or messages to their most economical form. You glance at a poster as you walk by the wood barricades of…
June 25, 2010
The Real Reason AT&T Has Exclusive Rights to the iPhone
A recently discovered magazine ad fuels speculation that Steve Jobs can time travel. This morning, in an old dusty box hidden in the corner of my attic I unearthed some old magazines. I can’t remember why I kept them….
February 10, 2010
I Hate Late Winter and I Hate Late Abstract Expressionism
Jeff Gates, From a Series of One Acts… #7, 1987. Click on image for larger view. Before moving to the DC area I spent a year teaching art in Minnesota. I learned to drive in the snow that winter…
February 8, 2010
Top: Panorama of the entrance to the park across the street from our house taken during the blizzard (part of a series of photographs I’ve been taking). Bottom: Our street as I struggled to get back inside (our house…
January 3, 2010
Avatar:a Reflection of Human Nature
When Will Homo Sapiens Stop Making Movies Like Avatar
Glenn Beck as our species savior? Annalee Newitz recently posed this question: “When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like ‘Avatar’?” And she followed it up with some interesting ideas on race and film making in America. While I…
November 8, 2009
An East German Volkspolizei guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in East Berlin, 1974, © Jeff Gates. Click on image for a larger view. I am slowly unearthing photographs and memories from my 1974–1975 trip to Europe. I…
November 1, 2009
A family reunion at Checkpoint Charlie. Click image for a larger view. © Jeff Gates In 1974, I was a fresh college graduate when I decided to embark on my first trip abroad. I spent seven months traveling in…
July 20, 2009
One Small Step for Man, One Giant Souvenir for Me
Click on the image for a larger view. As you get older your collection of chachkas increases exponentially. And, one day, you realize your whole attic is filled with the most “important” and “valuable” memories of your life. Well,…
April 25, 2009
Commentary at the New York Stock Exchange On a trip last week to New York for a series of meetings I suddenly discovered the New York Stock Exchange was located directly on the path between my hotel and meeting…
January 22, 2009
Celebrating with a Few Million Friends:
The Inauguration of Barack Obama
A “postcard” view of the Inauguration taken from the top of the Washington Monument. The circle marks our spot on the Mall. Click image for larger view. (The original can be found here.) My twelve year old daughter and…
January 19, 2009
The Bush Years: It’s a Wrap (But Hardly a Pretty Package)
I’ve been wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with this date and slogan for over two years. And I can’t believe January 20, 2009 is finally upon us. I feel like a veil is being lifted and like victims of…
January 17, 2009
Pierson’s Comfort Group, LLC gets the award for the best slogan in the Porta-Potty business. Click image for detail. Don’t think me anal but I must continue my porta-potty report from yesterday. This morning the Washington Post is reporting…
January 16, 2009
Porta-Potties Stand Ready and Waiting for Inaugural Hordes. Am I ready? Well, to be honest, I am a bit nervous. Will I be standing in a sea of four million out-of-towners or two million —many natives have decided to…
December 6, 2008
The Composite Sum of Obama’s Face
Beauty has always been a product of the social attitudes of the time. During the Renaissance voluptuous Rafaelesque women were the standard aspiration while in the 1960s, and certainly today, thin —even an emaciated look— is often what people…
November 23, 2008
So cute. And just perfect for the First Family and the Gates family. While the rest of the country recovers from the election, Washington is swimming in a sea of Obamamania. It’s not surprising considering that Barack, Michelle, Malia,…
October 30, 2008
Notes from an Exhausted Real American
Orlando News Anchor Asks the “Fair and Impartial” Questions. I’m exhausted. Obsession can do that to you. During the primaries I was disconnected. I didn’t read much about politics or watch the campaigns unfold on TV. But the moment…
October 19, 2008
Leveraging Political Power in the Blogosphere
Hotlinking. I’ve written about this netiquette faux pas before. And as you can see I’ve found a number of ways to get even (here and here). If you’re going to use my images don’t even think of linking to them…
September 28, 2008
Do You Trust This Man? Look at the Details.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Newsweek’s Cover (see larger version) To paraphrase M. Night Shyamalan’s famous line from his film The Sixth Sense, “I see details.” I am hyper vigilant when it comes to noticing the particulars of everyday…
September 16, 2008
It’s 3 a.m. Who Do You Want Answering the Phone?
The political events of the last two weeks have ignited my creative juices. I wake up in the middle of the night with a strategy I quickly tweet to @BarackObama. I can’t help myself. This morning in the shower I…
September 13, 2008
Coming off of an unbelievable week in American politics, once again liberals have been blind-sided by the lengths McPalin will go to win an election. Many are culpable here. But I have reserved my greatest indignation for Karl Rove…
September 3, 2008
Time Out for Some Political Commentary Reality
Click photograph for larger image. [ Republican Party, GOP, John McCain, Sarah Palin ]…
February 18, 2008
Our Dinner with NotMyShower.com
Women have a right to expect that showers and locker rooms are not occupied by persons who retain their equipment. From the Good Folks at NotMyShower.com Dinnertime at our house is a family affair. And evening meal is the…
November 13, 2007
Reminding Us for Twenty-Five Years
A boy makes a rubbing of his grandfather’s name, one of 58,256 etched into the black granite walls of Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Today the memorial turns twenty-five. Residing in Washington, DC, you sometimes forget you’re living in…
September 11, 2007
Thinking about 9/11. Retracing our steps. Telling our story to our children who are now old enough to understand. Rereading others’ stories from six years ago. Taking my other cell phone today, the one that works underground in the subway….
September 9, 2007
Arecibo: A Little Insurance Against Big Asteroids
Panorama photograph I took at Arecibo last year. (view larger) The Washington Post is reporting today that funding is in jeopardy for the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Without real (and voting) membership in Congress, the Commonwealth lacks the…
September 1, 2007
Alfred Peet, the Granddaddy of Great Coffee Alfred Peet, the founder of Peet’s Coffee & Tea (and the granddaddy of American specialty coffee) has died. I’m not one to usually wax poetic obit-style but Mr. Peet deserves it. His…
August 2, 2007
Gephyrophobia: A Prophetic Fear of Bridges
Fear of bridges is a relatively common phobia although most people with it do not know they have something called “gephyrophobia”… Phobic drivers may worry about being in an accident in busy traffic or losing control of their vehicles….
July 7, 2007
Life Outtacontext’s iPhone Lust-O-Meter Bursts It was too much to bear. The pressure, as you know, has been building for a week. The outcome seemed inevitable. Yesterday, my neighbor, Mike, offered to “show me his.” And, as we sat…
July 5, 2007
Today’s iPhone Lust-O-Meter Reading
Life Outtacontext’s Current Reading on its iPhone Lust-O-Meter. I have determined there is a direct correlation between iPhone Lust and physical proximity with the device. Handling an iPhone increases the desire to own one in direct proportion to the…
July 4, 2007
Introducing the iPhone Lust-O-Meter
Life Outtacontext introduces the iPhone Lust-O-Meter. In the days leading up to the launch of Apple’s iPhone we were inundated with stories upon news articles upon speculation about the “Device of the Century.” Engadget, a tech blog, recognized the…
June 24, 2007
One Simple Step for Better Customer Service
I have written a few times about the decline of Western Civilization, I mean the decline of customer service. It’s an uphill battle. Companies create silos so that one part of the organization works independently of another part (even…
May 12, 2007
The Queen: Up Close and Personal
My camera’s paltry zoom got me this close to the Queen. Click image to see an enlargement. On a whim, I decided to visit the Queen the other day. My coworker, Cathy, and I walked over to the World…
April 21, 2007
Walking Along the Edge: A Reflection on Virginia Tech
I didn’t hear of Monday’s tragedy at Virginia Tech until 9:30 that night. I had just plopped down my suitcase in my NYC hotel room after a long, flight-delayed ride from San Francisco. As I unpacked I watched the TV…
March 20, 2007
If you are a Mac fan you will remember its auspicious introduction: the 1984 Ridley Scott television commercial (updated in 2004 to include the ubiquitous iPod earbuds). Some anonymous Barack Obama supporters (or are they —a little Dem infighting…
February 28, 2007
Hey wait can I borrow your cape The leader is nowhere to be found, And if you wake up his fans You will not hear a sound. Bobby Bare, Jr.Borrow Your Cape House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Guess who…
February 18, 2007
Seven Steps to Better Customer Support
All of a sudden I can no longer send email to my friend Jim at his Earthlink address. Their server is bouncing everything back to me. When I looked closely at the header of the returned communication the problem was…
December 31, 2006
Washington, DC: a Tropical Paradise
Palm trees will soon grace the South Lawn of the White House and life in the capital city will become serene and laid-back. Of course, a global warming rise of seven meters in the sea level would actually flood…
November 8, 2006
The Dems knocked one right through this tree. [ Fall Foliage, Election, Democrats, ]…
November 5, 2006
My daily routine is being reconstructed. Directions to my new subway entrance (top). Blocked entrance to my house (bottom). A creature of habit I get up every morning at 5:30. My feline alarm clock gently taps me on the…
October 29, 2006
In the last few days the Republicans have decided that they’re going to win. Everything they’re reading says they’re going to win…Have you ever seen anybody fall off of the roof of a house? I used to be in construction….
September 11, 2006
Think about what you were doing, who you were with, and where you were. Reflect upon where we are now. Related Stories from Life Outtacontext: Remains of the Day, The Remains of the Day: One Year Later, and The Essence…
July 29, 2006
Don’t Go in the Water (or to Silver Spring)
Hooper ya idiot. Starboard. Ain’t you watchin’ it? Quinn, from Jaws Killer hurricanes. Massive floods. Record heat waves. Earthquakes. Tsunamis. And now this. Huge sea creatures attacking high rise buildings in the burbs of our nation’s capital. This isn’t…
June 17, 2006
Football: It’s a Vesica Piscis!
Stewie Griffin and Arnold: fitting namesakes for our American football. It’s the World Cup and EVERYBODY has football fever. Everybody but Americans. Ok, not all Americans. Everybody south of our soon-to-be fortified US-Mexican border is glued to their TV….
May 21, 2006
This Picture is Worth a Very Different Thousand Words
This illustration for a Washington Post article on social networking conveyed a very different story from the one it was supposed to illustrate. I’m a visual person and have found my niche in life as a visual communicator. A…
March 19, 2006
Walking down the street can be hazardous to your health. I do a lot of urban walking. Decent public transportation lets me keep my car at home during the week. This LA kid is proud to say his five…
March 12, 2006
I walked into the subway elevator pushing my youngest daughter in her stroller. It was empty except for on older Asian woman who stared at us as we entered. The ride down was a slow one. Very slow. I always…
February 11, 2006
The XX Winter Olympiad: Let the Politics Begin
NBC’s Brian Williams waxes political at the Turino Olympic Opening Ceremonies (Quicktime, 2.1 MB). Click image to begin video. Last night I sat down with my family to watch the opening ceremonies of the XX Olympic Winter Games. A…
January 21, 2006
Yesterday, Baltimore Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock struck down our Maryland law which bans same-sex marriage. She called the 1973 statute discriminatory and one that “cannot withstand constitutional challenge.” But she immediately stayed her ruling pending the inevitable challenge….
November 24, 2005
Getting Up Close and Personal with a Bear
My “one-on-one” in-depth visit with Tai Shan Tai Shan, the Smithsonian’s newest Panda will debut at the National Zoo December 8. Well, technically he’s China’s newest panda since, by agreement, he will be given to the Chinese when he…
November 12, 2005
Every November I am consumed with the outdoors. It’s not that I want to be but when the leaves fall from our trees there is nowhere for them to go but on our lawn. And one of my prime domestic…
October 23, 2005
We’re Old Enough to Know Better
If a new window doesn’t automatically open click here to continue. Related Articles: U.S. Military Death Toll in Iraq Hits 2000 (Washington Post)How Newspapers Marked This MilestoneWhat’s in a Number? (the challenge of counting Iraqi casualties from This American…
October 9, 2005
On our recent family trip to Disneyland I noticed something new: all the announcements and cautionary instructions for rides were both in English and Spanish. The all-American theme park had changed in a remarkable way. My Southern California friends are…
October 1, 2005
A new month: time to reset my internal calendar to remember birthdays and pay bills for October. If your birthday happens to be at the beginning of the month, you might not get your birthday greeting from me on time….
September 11, 2005
With the focus on the Katrina, I want to take some time to remember four years ago today. In part because time is mitigating our immediate horrors of this tragedy and in part because today’s anniversary falls on a Sunday…
September 3, 2005
A Piping Hot Meal, the Military Way
We continue to pour in additional supplies every hour in this area. Massive quantities of water, ice and food, 5.6 million MRE’s, over 13 million liters of water. We have 2,800 National Guard in New Orleans as we speak…
September 2, 2005
The governor of Texas today said that his state would take 25,000 people displaced by the hurricane. He called them refugees. And that is what they are. In the richest country in the world Mississippi is the poorest state…
July 17, 2005
Truth, Justice, and the American Way
What better way to celebrate my birthday than by engaging in a bit of political resampling. So, for my special day I give all of you this visual commentary on the latest goings-on just down the street: No one is…
July 8, 2005
After another day of terrorism, I am reminded of these words: Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing, great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense….
July 3, 2005
I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The Original Pledge of Allegiance Francis Bellamy, 1892 As July 4th drew near, real estate agents began…
June 25, 2005
Funeral celebrants are part of a persistent move toward therapy and management to handle issues that used to be the realm of religious faith. Dennis MartinAssociate Professor of Historical TheologyLoyola University Chicago When Cliff died unexpectedly at 39 I…
June 8, 2005
Err on the side of clarity when leaning towards totalitarianism. Articulatory Loop reported seeing a “suspicious” poster on a MARC commuter train between Baltimore and Washington on Monday: “…this picture pretty much sums up the new ‘National Security.’” Life…
March 26, 2005
Despite Terry Schiavo’s parents’ efforts to keep her alive and despite Congress’ deplorable actions, we wait. Waiting for a loved one to die is a time full of anticipation. Waiting for them to pass —no euphemism can adequately describe…
February 6, 2005
Lynette: “Tom, I am sorry about tonight. Truly, but these days, if I’m competing with anyone, it’s the Bree Van de Kamps of the world with their spotless kitchens, and their perfect kids, who throw fabulous parties where nothing…
January 21, 2005
Finding the Extremes: Inauguration Day 2005
Self-described independent Baptist at entrance to the Inaugural Parade. The sign on the left said “God Hates America” while the sign on the right said “Thank God for the Tsunami.” See more of my Inauguration Day photographs. The area…
January 16, 2005
What Not to Bring to the Inauguration Parade
As a bone-chilling drizzle fell on Washington, D.C., George W. Bush was inaugurated as the 43rd president of the United States, surrounded by both his strongest supporters and his most embittered detractors. In the crowd, Texans, many conspicuous in…
November 7, 2004
The neighborhood’s lawns reflect the great divide between the Dead Leaf Browns and the Dichondra Greens. It’s time for our annual Leaf Blowing Festival. We live at the edge of a forest of Tulip Poplar trees and each fall…
October 27, 2004
I am an artist: an information provider and interpreter. I am part of a group of people who are masters of the search, often drawing on intuition and practice to reveal the ambiguous and the inexplicable. As an artist…
October 22, 2004
I think September 11th changed everything. Apathy is gone from our hearts. Bethlehem, PA Homeowner Print your own lawn sign from Bill Fisher’s Yard Sign Project Apparently, I’m not alone when it comes to being on the front lines…
October 18, 2004
Dream Locally, Act Thoughtfully
Last night I dreamed my next-door neighbor knocked on my door. After a few days he had cooled down and wanted to talk. I listened to him as he explained his opinions and when he was done I said…
October 16, 2004
A Neighborly Encounter from the Right
My neighbor placed his car in front of our signs (inset: one of his bumper stickers). With this sign, he tried to do exactly what he asked me not to do: place objectionable signage close to our property. We…
October 10, 2004
Living in a Black and Blue Country
Someone Doesn’t Believe in Freedom of Speech The Iraqi War turned me into a partisan American. Before that point, I subscribed to the logic learned as a Political Science major in college: the Presidency was an office of compromise….
October 3, 2004
Bush Hesitates as He Ponders His Future During Presidential Debate
October 2, 2004
Kerry presents his case during first Presidential Debate while Bushlooks on. At 7:30 yesterday morning I was riding the subway to work when were delayed by a dead train at the stop ahead of us. I was tired. I…
Bush reacts to Kerry during first Presidential Debate The first presidential debate was a contrast in the candidates’ positions as well as their style. But how you interpreted their performance depended on which network you tuned to. I recorded…
September 29, 2004
A Baseball Team by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet
After 33 years, baseball is returning to Washington. And now that it’s a done deal, let’s get to the good part: naming our home team. Choosing a team mascot is an art. It takes some creative thinking to come…
August 29, 2004
What’s the Matter with Politics? Home Shopping, That’s What
The Great Backlash began with the coming together of two very different political factions: traditional business Republicans…with their faith in the free market; and working-class “Middle Americans”…who signed on to preserve family values. For the former group, the conservative…
July 5, 2004
Here in Washington there are numerous local parades on July 4th —very local parades, like through the streets of housing developments. These take place all over the region, and, as I suspected, they are staggered so politicians can go…
July 4, 2004
Everyone’s talking the finer points of Fahrenheit 9/11. The Lies. The Truth. You conservative bastard. Now listen here you commie liberal. Michael Moore’s a documentarian. No, his film is editorializing at its worst! Calm down, folks. It’s only a…
May 29, 2004
Sailors: vintage and contemporary at the World War II Memorial, Washington, DC Ten years ago, during my father’s final visit to DC, we were walking towards the Treasury Building to see how money is made. As we passed the…
May 23, 2004
A Close Encounter of the Political Kind
The Mrs. and I were invited to the Veep’s house this past week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Art in Embassies program. That’s Dick and Lynn Cheney’s temporary abode. The real Ambassador in Moscow: Adam & Eve,…
May 17, 2004
We’ve been waiting. Each evening we look to the skies. At night we cower in our Martha Stewart-shrouded bed linens. It’s quiet right now. But, beware, we know what awaits us at dawn’s early break. No one is safe…
April 20, 2004
CNN: The Most Trusted Monument in the Free World
February 29, 2004
The Denim Truth for World Domination
“What brings you here today, Mr. Gates?” Dr. Warner thumbed through my chart without looking up. “I think I’m growing taller,” I said. “That’s impossible, Jeff. You’re 54 years old.” It appears that Levi’s®, one of the oldest maker…
October 12, 2003
Please settle a bet (the loser has to cook dinner). My wife says Arnold Schwarzenegger is only 5 feet 8. I say he’s taller. Who is right? P.C. Kearns, Utah Parade Magazine It’s the beginning of a new era…
October 6, 2003
The glint from his flesh-colored earpiece and its thick spiral cord first caught my eye. Otherwise his dark brown suit would have kept him hidden amongst the other dark suits walking down Pennsylvania Avenue. He was broadcasting HIGH LEVEL…
October 1, 2003
As my family sits down to dinner I’m waiting for the phone to ring. The other day I wondered why political and charitable calls at dinnertime were exempt from the Federal Trade Commission’s “Do Not Call” list. Now I…
September 27, 2003
Au Contraire: Politicians Be Damned!
Jason Levine is mad about the end-around the American Teleservices Association did this week by filing suit to stop the “Do Not Call” list, set to begin October 1. He passed on Dave Barry’s advice: call the ATA and…
September 21, 2003
As CBS was debuting its latest Survivor series, little did we know our family was about to be sequestered on the remote Isle of Darkness, a few blocks from the Sea of Light and Normalcy. Unlike the TV show, which…
September 18, 2003
Isabel is was here. The Federal government made an early decision to close last night after the Metro said they’d be stopping all subway and bus service today at 11 am. Subway cars can sustain an 80 mph (128…
September 14, 2003
If It’s True Love Let’s Be Honest
In the 1970 tear-jerker Love Story, Ali McGraw’s character Jenny Cavilleri emotes “Love means never having to say your sorry.” It became the “Have a good day!” catchall phrase of the new decade. Crocodile tears were indiscriminately shed everywhere…
September 11, 2003
The Essence of a Physical Memory
I walked outside my office, exactly as I’d done two years ago. Back then, I was running to retrieve my daughter from her daycare on the National Mall. News reports of fires at the State Department and smoke rising…
September 9, 2003
When Looking Back, Remember to Look Where You’re Going
For the second year the date of awful remembrance is approaching. The day that for all of us alive today will never be just an ordinary date. September 11th is coming around again. But the anniversary this year is…
April 26, 2003
Freedom of Expression Proof of Purchase
I’ve been following the saga of outspoken Natalie Maines and the Dixie Chicks. Freedom of Expression is a hobby of mine. So I was particularly interested in Thursday’s 20/20 Primetime interview with the trio by Diane Sawyer. That same day,…
April 10, 2003
Every morning I wake up earlier than I need to in order to give myself some quiet time with the morning paper. For the last two days, though, the Post hasn’t come until I was just about ready to…
April 6, 2003
McLuhan: Live and in Real Time
The War: Live and in real time… Anderson Cooper CNN Anchor In 1991, at the outbreak of Gulf War I, I sat riveted to my television. Live green visions of Baghdad, tracer bullets emanating from both ground and sky,…
March 31, 2003
The way to play it on the air for Morning Shows right now is “What’s hot and what’s not?” Relate to the news as you have always done. That would lead humor to decrease in amount, but not in…
March 29, 2003
I was involved in my first anti-war protest yesterday. It started innocently enough. I had no prior plans to publicly voice my concerns. It seemingly came out of nowhere. While activists formed human chains across 14th and Pennsylvania yesterday…
March 25, 2003
On Being an American in America
The authority of a king is physical and controls the actions of men without subduing their will. But the majority possesses a power that is physical and moral at the same time, which acts upon the will as much…
March 18, 2003
I’ll Take Mine Straight Up and Neat
And so it begins. No, not The War—but the non-stop news “analysis.” MSNBC has a countdown clock on our television screens at all times, counting down the hours and minutes before Saddam and his progeny have to exit Iraq. Retired…
March 15, 2003
A Pain in Any Case: A Parable for the Ides of March
Over the course of the last month, the pain in my lily-livered liberal all-American heart has only been exceeded by the pain in my #12 all-American tooth. Each conveyed a kind of dull, background ache as I carried on my…
March 14, 2003
As mentioned last week, Kevin Sites, CNN reporter in Kuwait, has been sending emails to those of us back “home” on his personal reflections around the Persian Gulf. Kevin has now set up his own blog so we can keep…
March 13, 2003
“Another Poster for Peace is a group of designers who are commited to the peaceful and just resolution of the current crises in the Middle East. Our goal is to help create a grassroots campaign for patriotic dissent as a…
March 11, 2003
In this case, we know what the questions are going to be, and those are the ones we want to answer. We think the public will see the thought and care and attention he’s given to a lot of…
March 8, 2003
Kevin Sites, a CNN reporter in Kuwait, has been sharing personal reflections on the soon-to-be war front with readers of boingboing via email. Here’s an excerpt from his latest (read his entire post here): For most of the journalists here…
March 3, 2003
Before During After Khalid Shaikh Mohammed…
March 2, 2003
George W. Bush lives at the intersection of faith and inexperience. This is not a reassuring address, especially in a time of trouble. Joe KleinTime Magazine The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has let stand their June 2002 decision…
February 22, 2003
Empire Building Makes Strange Bedfellows
Just three days removed from these events, Americans do not yet have the distance of history. But our responsibility to history is already clear: to answer these attacks and rid the world of evil. War has been waged against…
February 15, 2003
Which is Scarier: Incident No. 2
Which is scarier: the fact that a man was gunned down in broad daylight at a gas station in Washington, DC and no one did anything to help him or that, in another part of the city we were…
February 12, 2003
Reality TV verses Reality: It’s a Toss Up
Which is scarier: Osama bin Laden’s recent tape or Michael Jackson’s? Each, in its own way, is a reflection on our society and speaks volumes about our values. Osama thinks he can change the world by killing infidels (innocent…
February 5, 2003
Not Waiting for the Earth to Stand Still
I was a good boy. The kind of boy every parent would love. I did everything I was told as a child and even believed everything my parents told me. As I look back now, fear was just as…
January 1, 2003
Overused Words: Now More Than Ever
“Make no mistakes about it, Lake Superior State University issued its 28th annual extreme List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness, which the world needs now, more than ever.” People are encouraged…
November 23, 2002
Turning Over a Few New Leaves: The Backstory
I have always been interested in the social aspects of technology: that is, how new ideas brought on by technological development seep into the everyday lives of regular folk. In the last few months I’ve been contacted with greater…
November 5, 2002
During yesterday’s Kojo Nnamdi Show on DC’s public radio station, WAMU, the show was interrupted with a news flash that five people had been shot in Montgomery County. Listeners were understandably upset. Was this becoming a disastrous pattern? Well, no,…
October 30, 2002
I don’t think we’ll ever be ready for John Allen Muhammad or John Lee Malvo Halloween costumes. But if you’re still undecided about who you would like to be tomorrow night, there is still a overabundance of very scary public…
October 27, 2002
She’s dead. You killed her. Hail to Dorothy. The Wicked Witch is dead. Chorus: Hail to Dorothy. The Wicked Witch is dead. The Wizard of Oz It wasn’t exactly like that. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s third book of the Lord of…
October 19, 2002
Since the sniper attacks began, there have been 18 “traditional homicides” in the area. They included a congressional intern who was also a poet. A mother found stabbed in her apartment. A young man who called his mother every day…
October 18, 2002
I feel a little foolish. I find myself unable to stand still or walk in a straight line these days. With the sniper still at large, I am zig zagging in suburbia. I don’t seem to feel this compulsion when…
October 7, 2002
What does a terrorist look like? After five days of living amongst someone who gets his kicks from killing and scaring people, I am trying to visualize him: to think about what he really looks like. To see a…
October 3, 2002
A coworker just came to my cube to ask me if I knew about a murder spree in my part of the Maryland suburbs. I didn’t but work to hear the details she imparts while deciding whether I should call…
September 28, 2002
Yesterday, a friend of mine and I were having lunch at The Castle, the main building of the Smithsonian. All of a sudden, we heard fighter jets fly low and fast over the National Mall. We looked at each…
September 17, 2002
Overshadowed by 9/11 was the primary election held the day before. There were a number of hotly contested races and agendas taking place in our local campaigns. And this year, my wife and I were interested in a number…
September 11, 2002
The Remains of the Day: One Year Later
We are lucky enough to know that we are more than our losses. Jenna Jacobs, Wife of Ariel Jacobswho was killed at the WTC In Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, Everything is Illuminated, Foer’s American protagonist, Jonathan, searches for the…
July 6, 2002
Once again the news is authenticating my life. The latest example comes from New Scientist magazine. It is reporting that studies now show that people become more eccentric as they age: “Odd and eccentric behaviour increases with age—but flamboyant…
June 26, 2002
Right Hand Over Heart, Ready Begin
I pledge allegiance to the flagOf the United States of AmericaAnd to the Republic for which is standsOne nation under GodWith liberty and justice for all What is going on here? Twice in a day my life is imitating, well,…
I knew it! I knew it! Earlier this month I mentioned that the sound of children’s crying could drive someone mad. I suggested someone invent a deafening device to save parents from approaching the brink. One must be careful for…
January 28, 2002
Last week I took a trip up to NYC to see Ground Zero. I’d been wanting to make the trip for some time. And, after working on Dichotomy since September, I felt it was important to take the trip….
September 13, 2001
Hunting for Zippers in the Emperor’s New Clothes
I remember one night being so scared I wouldn’t go to sleep. I’d been watching Invaders from Mars on TV for the fourth night in a row. When I yelled for my mom, she opened the bedroom door and told…
September 11, 2001
What can I say? 9:30. I was at the Renwick Gallery, which is right across from the White House, for a press preview for a new exhibit our museum is opening this week (at least was scheduled to open)….
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